Saturday, November 20, 2010

Retired Bishop Artemije celebrated liturgy at a Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) monastery in Kosovo today (November 20, 2010), despite the Holy Synod's decision to prohibit him from performing his priestly duties, according to the NFTU blogspot.

About 50 monks and believers who support him arrived at the Duboki Potok monastery last night and this morning.

Yesterday, Artemije's followers also occupied the Devine Vode monastery in northern Kosovo. Artemije's replacement, Teodosije -- appointed yesterday in Belgrade -- is believed to have urgently returned to Kosovo.

The Holy Assembly of Bishops of the SPC appointed Bishop Teodosije as new administrator of the Raska-Prizren Eparchy instead of Bishop Artemije. Bishop Artemije refuses to accept the decision and claims that it is not canonical.

Artemije was forced to retire because of allegations that one of his advisers defrauded the Eparchy.

The administrations of the Raska-Prizren Eparchy and the Kosovo-Metohija Eparchy have issued an announcement, stating that retired Bishop Artemije's intent to serve today at the Duboki Potok monastery represents "usurpation."

About Me

I am of the Eastern Orthodox faith and a member of the Holy Trinity Hellenic Orthodox Church in Lowell, MA. I am married and the father of two grown married daughters with children, all belonging to the Greek Orthodox Church.

I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, with a concentration in International Affairs, and a Master of Education degree from Northeastern University.

I worked as an education specialist for the federal government for two decades before retiring.

Blog Goal
The primary goal of the Theology and Society blog is to provide its readers with a brief informative description of contemporary theological issues and events, and the impact they may have on society.